Supernatural: “About a Boy” Review

Supernatural Season 10 Episode 12

Witchcraft causes all sorts of problems for the Winchesters this week, with Dean in particular getting a blast from the past.

The CW

“YOUR SON IS SO POLITE.”

Note: The following review goes into detail about the episode. SPOILER ALERT!

Supernatural has had a lot of fun over the years by giving us different versions of our established characters. We’ve had multiple versions of Castiel, along with soulless Sam, demon blood loving Sam and many more. Dean has gotten in on the action too with “old Dean,” “demon Dean” (too soon?) and even “doggy Dean,” amongst others. Several of these have been played for laughs in one-off episodes, and that’s exactly what I was expecting when Dean found himself thrust back into his much younger body. What I wasn’t expecting was this episode to be a very strong entry in the series, and one that managed to keep the Mark of Cain relevant while also dealing with a “monster of the week.”

Much of “About a Boy”’s success came from strong central performances, and Dylan Everett stood head and shoulders above the rest. He simply was the perfect young Dean. He had all of Dean’s little habits and mannerisms down, and even got to throw in a trademark “son of a bitch!” This wasn’t a young and carefree Dean either. He retained every bit of knowledge and experience that Dean has accrued over the years, and you could see the weight of all of it on his shoulders. Even though this was a more serious episode than the usual “transformation” episodes, there were still laughs to be had. The Taylor Swift mentions were absolutely brilliant, and I cracked up when that woman at the motel mistook Sam for Dean’s father.

The CW

As I mentioned earlier, the Mark of Cain was still at the top of the Winchesters’ agenda. We didn’t really get any closer to solving this puzzle, but this episode did offer up a wonderful little option for Dean. The spell that changed him back into his teenage self properly reverted him back to how he was at that time, meaning he didn’t have the Mark anymore. Dean immediately began to float the idea that he would stay as a boy and just simply grow up again, Mark-free. It was an interesting conundrum, one that was never going to work out in the end, but interesting nonetheless. It was brotherly love of course that ended up making Dean’s mind up. Another interesting element to come from Sam and Dean’s fight against the witch and Hansel here was the mention of Rowena and the Grand Coven. Rowena is definitely playing some sort of long game with Crowley, and it remains to be seen what importance it will have. With the little bits and pieces we’ve been fed along the way, I believe that Rowena could end up being a much bigger threat than we have realized.

THE BREAKDOWN

This was a surprisingly strong entry into Season 10, with several great performances elevating this episode above the more standard “monster of the week” episodes. “About a Boy” managed to keep our central Mark of Cain storyline going, while giving us a very entertaining diversion. Much tougher obstacles await the Winchesters in the weeks to come, but their bond is starting to look as strong as ever. Dean can’t simply “shake it off” when it comes to the Mark of Cain, but Sam is going to be at his side until the very end.

How pivotal will the Grand Coven storyline be over the remainder of Season 10? Let me know what you think on Twitter @OldSnake24 or in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow us @YouNerded.

90/100 – Superb

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Michael Spring is a staff writer for YouNerded.com. If he's not playing Metal Gear or watching some excellent TV show, he's more than likely asleep. For some witty banter and the occasional rant about football, you can follow him @OldSnake24 on Twitter